


(Being Heere) With You Right Now

by oddandevander



Series: Two Player Game [3]
Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Aromantic Asexual Christine Canigula, Established Relationship, First Date, Fluff, I worked so hard, M/M, New Relationship, PLS LIKE THIS, Schmoop, also christine is the biggest boyf riends shipper, and it's still awkward, both of them are so nervous, but not totally in a bad way, but they love each other so much, honestly they're such nerds, i think, im still bad at tags ok, im such trash, it's not directly stated but that's what i like to believe, it's something we're all just gonna have to deal with, like they're having a good time, listen i will NEVER stop making puns with jeremy's last name okay, lots of skips bc it's too long, send help, sorry in advance to any of my british readers ily, they lowkey dine and dash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-13
Updated: 2018-04-13
Packaged: 2019-04-21 07:06:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14279616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oddandevander/pseuds/oddandevander
Summary: Jeremy and Michael have their first date.





	(Being Heere) With You Right Now

**Author's Note:**

> dANG DUDES IM SO FUCKING PUMPED TO WRITE THIS  
> THAT'S NOT A GUARANTEE THAT IT'LL BE GOOD BUT I HAVEN'T BEEN THIS MOTIVATED IN A LONG TIME, LIKE JUST IN GENERAL RN IM FEELING SO PUMPED TO WRITE AND IT'S SO GREAT
> 
> i wanted to say thanks so much for all the support on my other stories!!  
> like even if you just read them or even glanced at them it means so much. i like replying to comments but i don't always do it but i appreciate every single comment and i love you all and thank you so so much for reading this.  
> anyway, i hope you enjoy!
> 
> also this work goes back and fourth with pov kinda so yeah

Jeremy's heart was racing and his throat was tight, but he still couldn't help himself from absolutely beaming. Although nerves were chewing away at him, his excitement rivaled the unease dwelling in his stomach. Of course in all his nerve-wracking situations, Jeremy would text Michael. But since his upcoming date with Michael was what prompted the anxiety in the first place, it was kinda different now.

So, Jeremy texted Christine instead.

**always-heere**

> I'm shaking s o mcuh
> 
> *much
> 
> See? Sahkgin!

**drama_llama**

> Haha don't be nervous, Jere!
> 
> YOU AND MICHAEL ARE FINALLY GOING ON A DATE!!!!!!!!!!! AREN'T YOU EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH JEREMY!!!!!!

The burst of enthusiasm felt refreshing. Christine was nice to talk to. She channeled her passion in everything she did, which included even simple conversations. Talking to her was easy and she listened remarkably well. Not only that, but Jeremy knew that she must have actually been as thrilled as she claimed, after the girl had spent so long desperately wanting Michael and Jeremy to be together.

**always-heere**

> I am!! I'm really excited!!!!
> 
> I'm just so scared I've never really been on a date except with you and it totally turned into a friend thing anyway but what if I embarrass myself? Or what if he realizes he could do better?
> 
> Ugghghh Michael's so FREAKING perfect, why is he with ME?

**drama_llama**

> Stop being so hard on yourself! It's gonna be incredible!!!
> 
> I'm screaming dude I'm so thrilled!
> 
> You guys are gonna have a great time and the night will be perfect and you'll kiss and be all in love and stuff and AAAAAAH!!

The messages made Jeremy laugh in spite of the fact that he was still shaking. Somewhere in his mind flowed an unending stream of worries, but wasting all his attention on anixety Jeremy felt so absolutely  _exhilarated_  felt like such a waste. He was going on a date with Michael, and despite every doubt he had, that alone was incredible.

**always-heere**

> Thanks Christine
> 
> I'll let you know how it goes

**drama_llama**

> You better!!!! I'll be completely furious if I don't hear from you by the end of the night!!!
> 
> Jk haha
> 
> And you've already been friends with Michael for years, you know. It's not like going on a date with him makes him any different of a person! You'll do great Jere. I'll be rooting you on from home all night!!

**always-heere**

> I'll remember that lol
> 
> Talk to you later ig I have to go sooooooooon

**drama_llama**

> You got this!!!

Biting his lip, Jeremy slipped his phone into his pocket again and glanced back at the mirror. All physical flaws aside, Jeremy looked himself over in the mirror. Not too terrible, actually. Different than how he looked most of the time, but not bad. The suit felt odd to wear, an actual formal date seemed like the only real step up in their relationship. A casual date would have been too similar to any of their outings as friends.

Their parents took it upon themselves to take the boys suit shopping. Frankly, it probably saved their asses. Not to mention that now they at least had some idea of what each of them was wearing. It was fancy! Jeremy had a blazer and a tie and a _whole_ lot of buttons for some reason. The blue on his tie went well with his eyes, though, and something about wearing blue gave him a tinge of comfort.

_Okay, dude. Be calm. Christine's right; it's just Michael_.

But wasn't just Michael— _Michael_ wasn't "just Michael". Michael was the most wonderful person in the world! So many tiny, insignificant details about him, and all of them were absolutely perfect. Michael's occasionally lame sense of humor that always made Jeremy laugh. Michael's generally good mood and ability to be positive and always cheer Jeremy up. Michael's ambidexterity. Even the things that didn't matter. Jeremy loved all of them.

"Jeremy?" His dad's voice pulled him from his thoughts.

"Y-Yeah?" He called back, anticipating the departure for Michael's house and anticipating another harsh wave of anxiety.

His dad knocked once before he opened the door and stuck his head inside. "Are you ready?"

Jeremy nodded tentatively, continuing to chew on his lip. He had never even been to a restaurant this fancy before. Not since before his mom left. But he sucked in a deep breath and told himself that everything would be completely fine.  _I can do this, I can do this._

His dad offered a reassuring smile. "You look good," he said, awkwardly, and rubbed his neck for a moment before he coughed. "Well, come on, let's go."

* * *

"I'm not nervous!" Michael protested again, his voice rising slightly (which may not have helped his case) as he shrugged his shoulders. Standing behind him, his mom combed through his thick, inky hair, shiny and different with product in it now. He wondered if Jeremy would like it like this.

His ma, barely visible in the hall, let out a little huff. " _I'm_ nervous. I can't believe our baby boy is going on a date!" She held her face in her hands, her eyes squeezed shut, almost looking distressed, although her voice betrayed a hint of pride, too.

In response, Michael noticed his mom roll her eyes in the mirror. "I know, he's getting so old. Soon he'll be getting a job and moving out—"

"Hey, hey, slow down there," Michael interrupted. "I didn't know you were _that_ eager to kick me out." He fixed a pouty expression on her.

His mom only rolled her eyes while, out in the hall, his ma continued wailing. Michael had always had a really strong bond with both of his mothers, even in his teenage years. Their protectiveness over him wasn't unfamiliar. But Michael felt calm, at least. The formality of all of this did grind on his nerves just slightly, but not enough to be that bothersome. If anything, he was over the moon right now. This would be his first date with the boy he'd been crushing on for  _years_! And after only a week of dating, no less!

As she finished up with Michael's hair, his mom stepped back, giving him time to gaze at it in the mirror for a few moments as he stood up. Different. But not bad. It went well with the rest of his outfit. It was a standard black suit that he wore a red tie with, not much to it besides the fact that it was pretty showy. More so than he was used to.

"How do you feel?" His mom asked, her hands on his shoulders, even though, standing, he was a bit taller than her.

"Good." He stared into the mirror for a few more seconds before shifting his gaze. It wasn't a great boost to his self-confidence to dwell on his appearance too long. He looked fine.

"Good," his mom said, kissing his head. "Because it looks like they're here."

His eyes darted over to the window where he could see Jeremy's dad parked. They were here. Jeremy was here. Dressed up and ready to go out, the boy of Michael's dreams. Here. Now...

" _I CAN'T DO THIS, I CAN'T DO THIS, TELL HIM I'M NOT HOME!_ " Michael yelped frantically, and suddenly he was sprinting down the basement stairs, all his apparently suppressed fear bubbling up and spilling over. Every ounce of his blood felt like it could have been vibrating with all the panic shut away inside of him. Somewhere along the way, he must have lost his logic. His thoughts were a frantic mess, and the only thing he could do was run to the corner of the basement and curl up there, as if that would make his problems all go away.

When did he get so nervous? _Why_ was he so nervous? _Fuck fuck_ \- was it only because it was Jeremy? Jeremy was his best friend, nothing to worry about! His best friend, whom he'd been in love with for years. His best friend, who he couldn't live without. And what if Michael fucked up? What if he made Jeremy hate him somehow? The thought felt too intense to even think about. He sat for several seconds, hoping he could just stay there forever.

But he couldn't. He could hear his ma's voice upstairs, talking to the Heeres, no doubt gushing about how great Jeremy looked. Then his mom telling them she would be right back to fetch Michael, and her footsteps coming down the stairs. It didn't take her long to see him in the corner.

"Mikey-"

"I don't want to," Michael whined, not caring how lame and scared and childish he sounded. "Mommmm." He was suddenly pathetic and terrified, holding his arms out for his mom like a kid.

With the faintest hint of a smile on her face, she walked to his side, wrapping her arms around him, her grip tight and reassuring. Michael clung on to her. "It's going to be okay baby," she promised softly, rubbing his back.

Some of the tension in his chest faded away at her words, feeling a little less afraid. "What if it turns out awful? What if he hates me and never wants to talk to me again? What if-"

"What if you just stopped panicking and went with him? It's Jeremy, honey. You know he could never hate you." She stayed quiet for a moment, thinking. "You know, I still think the most nervous I've ever been in my life was before my first date with Ma," she told him. "Or definitely one of my most nervous moments."

Michael raised his eyebrows. "Really?  _You_?" His ma was  _definitely_  the more panic-prone of his moms. Actually, his mom never really panicked. She always managed to stay relatively calm about things.

"Hell yeah! Your ma, I had the most  _wild_ crush on her. For two weeks, granted, but I was absolutely sure that I wanted to marry her. I couldn't think straight all night. I made a fool out of myself too many times to count."

"And?"

She smiled, some type of pride gleaming in her eyes. "And we got married, didn't we?" She rubbed his shoulder. "You're going to be fine, Michael. Just be yourself. Jeremy already likes you for who you are."

Michael nodded slowly, his confidence and determination gradually returning. "Yeah. Okay."

"We shouldn't keep him waiting too long," his mom said, standing up.

Reluctantly following her lead, Michael walked out with her, forcing his thoughts to stay positive. Tonight would be incredible. Tonight would be amazing. His chest tightened again right before he stepped out, but he barely even noticed the feeling after his eyes found Jeremy.

All those romantic scenes in movies always came across as simply dramatic. When someone sees their date across the room and just stares, speechless, like the world has stopped turning. When everything started moving in slow motion and every light was on one person. Except that, right now, that was how it truly felt. In that moment, it felt like Jeremy was the only thing in the world. Michael couldn't even remember his own name.

As it was, Jeremy always looked good. But now, he was completely stunning. Michael had even been  _with_ him when they first tried on these suits, but somehow now, he looked so different. Michael wasn't sure that his heart was even beating anymore.

A discreet nudge from his mom broke his trance, luckily, and he gave Jeremy a huge grin. "Hey, dude! You - you look really - d-dashing?" Seriously? Of all the words he could have gone with, Michael settled for dashing? He glanced at his mom nervously, but she only smiled with suppressed amusement.

At least the comment seemed to please Jeremy—in a humorous way, most likely. "Th-thanks! You know, that's exactly what I was going for," he joked, sparks of playfulness in his blue eyes.

Damn.

"Well you nailed it," Michael laughed.

"We should take pictures!" His ma suggested suddenly.

Nope. "That's our cue to go," Michael decided, hurrying over to Jeremy, grabbing his arm. "You ready?" he asked, trying not to feel self-conscious and overwhelmed by how amazing Jeremy looked.

After making sure that he was, Michael talked to their parents a little more, assuring them that they would be safe and call if anything happened. Rather than driving, they just got an Uber today, which their parents paid for.

The adults followed them out to the porch, waving as their sons got into the car.

Michael opened the door for Jeremy, who blushed and murmured a quick thanks as he got in, then glanced back at his moms and winked before getting in the car with Jeremy.

* * *

Getting away from their parents granted Jeremy a bit of tranquility, quelling his nerves, if only slightly. Not that any of them made him particularly nervous, but being around all of them at once could get overwhelming fast.

"Uh, so," Michael said, his eyes on Jeremy, "I know it came out weird earlier. You really do look stunning, Jeremy."

Jeremy felt a flush of heat in his face and offered his best smile. "Heh, actually I liked 'dashing' just fine," he chuckled.

"It was the first thing I thought of, okay?" Michael said defensively, although it was contrasted by the expression of pure glee on his face. "Handsome sounded like an understatement."

Fighting to keep hold of his last puny shreds of manliness, Jeremy forced back an urge to squeal. "Th-thanks!" But his voice still squeaked so by this point his manliness had basically become nonexistent.

Still, somehow Michael didn't seem to mind. Actually, he stared at Jeremy lovingly, like the dorkiness was something else Michael loved about him, and the thought added to Jeremy's perpetual blush. He pressed one hand against the side of Jeremy's face and leaned over—Jeremy was completely and fully ready to kiss him. And then... he stopped. Inches away, a painfully small distance.

His brow was furrowed thoughtfully. "You think this is okay? As far as the whole traditional dating shit goes, I mean? Like, to kiss this soon? On a first date?"

Jeremy, barely breathing, swallowed hard, his eyes glued to Michael's. "Well we've already kissed a ton of times, so I don't think there's much left to lose at this point," he said, his voice playful, but also not-too-subtly impatient.

"That's true," Michael agreed, but he didn't move, which was probably the douchiest thing that he could have done. Even pulling away at this point would have been better—would have eliminated the temptation. But he stayed right there, a thoughtful expression on his face, and Jeremy's resolve was not that strong. He let out a whining noise before he closed the distance between them himself, quickly getting lost in the feeling.

He noticed Michael laugh faintly against his lips, and he would have rolled his eyes if they'd been open. That thought didn't take long to fade from his mind, though, because kissing Michael was almost too much, and Jeremy never wanted to stop. He hardly noticed himself inching closer and closer so that their bodies were pressing together, too, and his hands rested lightly on the sides of Michael's soft face. It was kind of interesting how Jeremy's mind just stopped when he kissed Michael. How it felt like everything else in the world stopped, too, because somehow Michael was the only thing left to focus on and the only thing he even cared about at the moment. What a rush.

When Michael finally broke the kiss, Jeremy forced back a whine. Michael's face stayed close to his, their foreheads pressed lightly together. "Are you ready for this?" he asked, a hint of uncertainty in his own tone. His hands were on Jeremy's collar and his tie, messing with them mindlessly.

Jeremy tried his best to sound enthusiastic. "Yeah!" His reluctance managed to sneak in too, though, and hiding anything from Michael was always impossible. "I-I mean, I really am! I'm just nervous, you know? I've never done anything like this before and I just really want it to go well.."

Michael responded with a tiny nod. "It's okay, Jere-Bear. It'll be awesome." He sealed his promise with a kiss, soft and short and sweet, and Jeremy found himself wishing he could spend the whole time like this with Michael, instead of their fancy dinner. But he pushed the thought aside, summoning all the optimism he could.

"Thanks, Michael," he breathed.

These things could be stressful, but he had Michael to bear through it with him the whole time.

And frankly, he would have been kind of fucked without Michael. Michael seemed like he knew exactly what he was doing when they walked into the restaurant and spoke to the lady at the desk. And Jeremy merely stood beside him, feeling childish in comparison.

They got seated at a table, where Michael pulled out Jeremy's chair like an utterly perfect gentleman, and Jeremy felt flattered, but even dumber than before. "Thanks." Jeremy pushed away a shaky feeling as he sat down.

He wasn't sure when his lip started bleeding (it wasn't a surprise, considering how much assault it had been subjected to recently) but it was now, so now Jeremy got to add another focus-point to his mind of making sure he didn't start lip-bleeding everywhere during their fancy date. And wow was it  _fancy_. Everyone here dressed like they were meeting the president or something; it was like everyone here lived the highest life style and knew all the rules for acting proper during these things of things, and Jeremy felt like a complete outsider.

"I've never been anywhere like this before," Jeremy said, still scanning the place timidly.

"Oh, yeah. My moms like to come here sometimes, but we usually come for, like, celebration type stuff." Michael shrugged. "I'm not really a huge fan." As soon as he said that, he instantly backtracked. "I-I mean it's just - it's not usually my thing. It's nice, you know. I like it." He probably didn't want to make it sound like they were at a restaurant Michael hated. But it helped to know Jeremy wasn't the only one not loving this place.

He nodded slowly. "I don't blame you. My dad's not much for fancy meals." His dad never even cooked much, honestly. Jeremy's mom had always been the cook, and apparently his dad couldn't be bothered enough to learn himself. Not that he honestly cared that much. Jeremy lived on a steady diet of Ramen noodles and microwave meals.

Michael chuckled. "Lucky you."

Their waitress came by to take drink orders, and Jeremy decided on a water. It was the safest choice.

Once they were alone again, Michael rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Damn. Maybe we shouldn't hang out so much," he said, then met Jeremy's eyes and quickly clarified. "I mean - just because we don't have much to talk about!" he added in a rush.

"Oh, yeah. I know."

More silence followed, and eventually their eyes ended up on the same woman, an older lady with short gray hair a few tables away, talking with exaggerated motions to some average looking man. They watched her wordlessly for a few moments before Michael leaned over the table a little more so he could talk to Jeremy without his voice being too loud.

When he spoke, his voice was a pitch higher and in a fake British accent, imitating the woman they were watching. "Oh, Charles! You completely  _slay_ me, sir. I must say, I am dripping-"

The comment caught Jeremy so off guard that he had to cover his face to keep his abrupt burst of laughter from being too loud. Michael seemed pleased by the reaction, chuckling quietly himself.

"Du-dude," Jeremy wheezed. "Did you - make her British?"

Michael laughed. "Yeah, dude. She looks British."

"How does a person look British?"

"Jeremy, look at her and  _tell me_  she doesn't look British."

Well. As far as Jeremy's idea of a British person went, she did seem pretty spot on, so he couldn't argue much. Jeremy wasn't sure why Michael's impression of this old lady was so funny to him, but the thought made him want to laugh again, and he kept himself quiet by biting his bottom lip again.

But his obvious amusement only egged Michael on. "Oh, you devil!" Somehow his narration of her fit too perfectly with her movements—it actually made it a little believable. "I do say, I'm feeling rather knackered at this hour. What do you say we retire to a night of expensive wine at my house? Perhaps after that we could-"

Their waitress bringing their drinks stopped Michael from finishing that sentence, and it was probably for the best since Jeremy could already barely keep himself together. They thanked her quickly and fell silent as their biggest source of entertainment here finished her dinner and walked past her table with her guest beside her.

"-yes, and I could hardly believe it, the barmy thing-" What they heard from her was short and unfinished, but enough to pick up on her  _British accent_ , and both Michael and Jeremy fucking lost it.

Two teenage boys laughing uncontrollably in a place like this clearly wasn't normal, nor did it seem to be something anyone appreciated much. Under the glares of several people at the restaurant, Michael and Jeremy tried desperately to get a hold of themselves, choking back laughter as much as they could.

Michael sat up, still giggling adorably and wiping his eyes. " _God_ , dude. I think everyone here hates us now."

Before Jeremy could reply to that, their waitress was back, asking about their orders.  _Shit_. Jeremy had completely forgotten about that up until right now. He grabbed the menu and flicked through it quickly, scanning for whatever was cheap and sounded good.

He placed his order, having pretty much no idea what it even was, and Michael did the same. Jeremy didn't even care about that at this point. He was still trying not to laugh and feeling blessed that he was on this date with Michael.

When his eyes were on Michael again, he saw his boyfriend smiling at him almost sympathetically. "You don't like this at all, do you?" he asked.

"W-What do you mean?" Jeremy frowned. "I like doing this with you."

Michael shrugged. "Yeah but  _this_." He motioned to the room, extravagant and way too nice for them. "It's not really like us, is it?"

Jeremy hesitated, not eager to say outright that he didn't like this, because he did! It was just... he liked the Michael part of it. "Yeah," he admitted, and sighed. "This totally isn't our thing. I'd rather just be at your house playing video games." He smiled a little.

Rather than smiling back, Michael glanced away, oddly serious—although no in an intimidating way. "Would you rather... like... leave?" he asked carefully. "Like just walk out?"

Just walk out? As in leave? What was Michael thinking? "Can we do that?" Jeremy asked, frowning slightly.

"I don't think so, but it beats sitting through a meal in this place, yeah?" His raised his eyebrows, and Jeremy recognized a glint of mischief, and suddenly remembered how Michael had roped him into doing so many things before.

Plus, that was hard logic to argue with. "Okay."

* * *

Admittedly, the idea of sneaking out of this went way smoother in Michael's mind. He hadn't totally planned for running into one of the servers, which spilled food everywhere, and being caught and yelled at not to come back as they ran off into the streets. Nonetheless, Michael and Jeremy were laughing basically the entire time, especially after, so hard that their throats ached and their eyes were watering.

"Oh my god," Jeremy wheezed, breathless both from laughter and from running. These boys weren't at all athletic, so running from the restaurant proved to be pretty tiring for them. "I can't believe we did that," he said, mingled fear and excitement in his voice. He paused. "That was awesome, dude!"

They'd taken shelter in a shoe store a few buildings away, although it didn't seem like they were being chased or anything.

Despite how much trouble they could possibly be in, Michael was grinning. "Yeah, I know." Since when had the two of them become so bad? Skipping classes, getting banned from restaurants... Not that Michael could complain much when it was so fun. After managing to catch his breath, he glanced over at Jeremy, whose expression still reflected his shock. "You good?" he asked gently.

Jeremy raised his head, then nodded. "Yeah. I'm good." He smiled—a real smile that reached every feature on his face. "I'm really good."

The sincerity in his tone made Michael heat up a little, but he didn't linger on the feeling. "What about these suits?" he asked. "I mean - you look  _great_ , but I know they're not the most comfortable or anything."

As much as he could, Jeremy laughed. "Are you trying to get me to undress?" he teased.

Michael grinned back. "Maybe."

"Yeah, these suits are a bit much," Jeremy agreed after a small chuckle.

Michael nodded. "I know. Here." He unbuttoned Jeremy's blazer, which probably hadn't been a joy to run in. Running in suits wasn't actually a lot of fun at all. Then he untied the tie around his neck, doing his best to make Jeremy more comfortable. Jeremy's face was tinted pink and everything about him right now was utterly adorable. "Better?" Michael asked, stepping back a little.

Jeremy nodded. "Yeah." He smiled. "Thank you."

"No problem," Michael hummed, undoing his own tie. "So how's your dad doing with all of this?" he asked curiously.

"Actually, not bad," Jeremy answered. "It'll take some getting used to, you know, but he already likes you and I think he's happy that I'm so happy."

Michael grinned. "That's good."

"What about your moms?"

"What about them?" He shrugged. "They've known about how gay I am longer than I have, probably. Plus, they would adopt you in like a split second. They love you. I think they've known about my crush on you for a while, too," he added. "I dunno. I don't think I ever told them outright, but they seemed like they had it figured out."

Jeremy chuckled. "They're super moms."

Michael rolled his eyes. "I think it was just  _super obvious_."

"So what do we do now?" Jeremy brought up suddenly, the thought not crossing either of their minds up until now.

Micheal leaned back, considering it. "Are you still hungry? We could just go to McDonalds," he suggested. That was more their style.

Jeremy nodded in agreement. "Sounds good."

* * *

Following their dinner at McDonalds was a small trip to a video game store, where they mostly loaded up on nerdy merchandise before finally heading back to Michael's house. All in all, their date had been around two hours, and they were excited to be back at Michael's place.

"We're home," Michael announced loudly as they walked in, waiting for his moms to come hurrying out to greet them.

Not surprisingly, his ma was the first one to scurry out into the living room, her eyebrows raised expectantly. "So? How did it go?" she asked, her eyes flicking between the boys.

Michael's mom joined them as he was answering. "Great! We left our dinner early and got banned from the restaurant."

" _What_?"

"Wh - how did you manage to do that?" His mom asked, utterly shocked.

Michael shrugged. "I dunno. We just left, and I guess they didn't really like that too much. It wasn't like we even had our food yet." He grinned. "But we went video game shopping and hit up McDonalds."

His ma sighed, shaking her head. "Oh, boys."

"In my defense," Michael said, looking at his mom, " _you_ were the one who told me to be myself."

She nodded slowly. "Yes, and I see now that it was a mistake," she said, but there was visible amusement on her face. "I'm glad you boys had fun, at least. And that we spent so much time, effort and money on your suits and reservations for you two to just leave so suddenly."

"If it helps, we probably would have gotten kicked out sooner or later, anyway," Jeremy put in. "We really didn't fit in much."

"We were causing disruption for the other guests," Michael chimed in.

Michael's mom shook her head. "Sometimes I wish we'd had a daughter instead."

"Rude," Michael said, although Jeremy couldn't help laughing. "Until you start appreciating what a good son I am, we're going down into the basement. And no girls allowed."

"What about Sassy?" Jeremy asked, picking up the cat and petting her head affectionately.

Michael rubbed her fur a couple times too. "Sassy's okay. We'll be in the basement."

"Oh, Jeremy, do you plan on staying over?" Michael's ma asked before they could escape just yet.

He hadn't thought about it yet. He was going to say no, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized that he would probably wind up wanting to sleep over, anyway. "Is that okay with you?"

"Always," Michael's mom assured him. "Go on, we'll call and let your dad know. Just don't get up to any funny business. We'll be checking in on you."

"Oh no, you might catch us playing Apocalypse of the Damned. Scandalous," Michael said.

His mom scowled. "Maybe we should have named  _you_ Sassy."

After a little more playful banter between Michael and his mom, the boys finally went into the basement. It felt so familiar and nice to return to. There were so many memories of them here, together. Including the first time Michael ever tried to kiss him. Jeremy quickly shook that specific thought away.

Michael stripped off his blazer, unbuttoning his shirt, although he still had on shirt under that. Jeremy set Sassy down and she walked off to go to whatever it is cats do. Jeremy was just unintentionally staring at Michael.

His boyfriend blushed when he realized. "Stop that."

"What?"

"Just the way you stare at me. I dunno. Makes me feel all... admired," he mumbled, frowning slightly.

Jeremy chuckled. "It's your fault for being so handsome." When his comment got an instant embarrassed and flustered response, Jeremy burst out laughing and continued. "Seriously, I never thought I'd end up with someone so attractive. You could be a model."

"I'm going to hit you," Michael scowled, although judging from his expression, the only thing he was going to do was curl up in a bashful ball and whine.

Jeremy couldn't help himself. He loved Michael and he hated that Michael didn't quite love himself, but smothering his boyfriend in compliments just made Jeremy happy, and it wasn't hard at all. At this point, it was harder to stop. There were too many things. Jeremy didn't know if he'd even be able to get through them all. "Michael, you're so gorgeous and talented and funny-"

He wanted to go on all night, but Michael finally shut him up by kissing him, and Jeremy couldn't be bothered to stop him. He realized right then how much he'd longed to kiss Michael all night, and how good it felt finally doing it. Michael's lips were magical.

"Come on," Michael said a moment later, breaking the kiss to lead them to the couch, since sitting beat just standing there.

Jeremy followed, going after Michael, sitting down and leaning against his shoulder. "Man. I didn't know I was so tired," Jeremy admitted with a small chuckle, rubbing his eyes.

"Dude, I know," Michael agreed. "I guess it is a little late."

"Yeah," Jeremy hummed, but he decided to kiss Michael anyway. The temptation was too much, even in Jeremy's pathetically tired state. He wanted to feel as close to Michael as he could, to kiss him all night.

And they did kiss for maybe a few minutes before Michael's movements started feeling slower, more careless, and Jeremy knew he must be pretty tired.

"You should sleep," he chuckled, pulling away.

Michael pouted despite his eyes struggling to stay open. "Sleep is boring."

Rather than arguing with Michael (always a bad idea), Jeremy took off his glasses and set them aside, not backing down from his statement. "Goodnight," he said, smiling. He managed to get Michael to lay down through gentle force, and Michael whined but didn't really fight.

"Sleep with me," Michael murmured, rubbing his eyes. Even though he couldn't see Jeremy at that moment, he must have known how he reacted, because he added right after, "Not like that, dick."

Jeremy laughed, nodding and shifted, messing with their positions so he could find a way to lie comfortably next to Michael on the couch. "Is this good?" he asked, and Michael just nodded sleepily. Jeremy leaned up to kiss his jaw. "Night."

Not quite as exhausted, Jeremy was up for a little bit after that, his head against Michael's chest as he fell asleep. His breathing was slow and calm down, and he looked so peaceful. Before Jeremy could fall asleep himself, he remembered something and grabbed out his phone.

Sure enough, there were a nice amount of missed texts from Christine.

**drama_llama**

> JEREMYYYYYY
> 
> HOW DID THE DATE GO? IT'S BEEN FOREVER, AREN'T YOU BACK YET?
> 
> YOU GOTTA GIVE ME THE DETAILS, JERE
> 
> GET UR BUTT OVER HERE, HEERE

**always-heere**

> I'm alive
> 
> The date was like... the best night of my life

**drama_llama**

> AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH I TOLD YOU
> 
> TELL. ME. EVERYTHING.

**always-heere**

> Haha we went to a fancy restaurant
> 
> Michael mocked an old lady
> 
> He's so cute
> 
> And then neither of us liked it so we just left and now we're sorta banned from the restaurant
> 
> But we got fast food
> 
> And video game stuff
> 
> And kissed
> 
> And I love him so much
> 
> And he's asleep right next to me right now

**drama_llama**

> I
> 
> YOU GOT
> 
> BANNED????? JEREMY!
> 
> I WANT TO BE MAD AT YOU
> 
> BUT I'LL DO IT LATER BECAUSE YOU TWO ARE ADOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORABLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.
> 
> I'M SO GLAD YOU HAD A GOOD TIME JERE!!!!!!

**always-heere**

> Me too!!!!
> 
> Ugh I'm so
> 
> Like
> 
> Messed up over Michael
> 
> Like in a good way. He's all I ever think about anymore and I just love everything about him so much but I like the feeling and idk im tirred
> 
> I'll talk to you tomorrow

**drama_llama**

> Ok ok
> 
> Tell Mikey I said hey!!
> 
> When he wakes up lol
> 
> Night!

**always-heere**

> Night Chrstine

**Author's Note:**

> yee ik the ending is utter shit and but i think i already lost half of my soul writing this bc of how fucking much of my time i dedicated to it  
> like listen u guys have no idea how impatient i am but i fuckin edited this shit like ive been staying up all night, working my ass off for this story
> 
> not that i'd have it any other way lmao  
> thanks so much for reading! comments would be awesome because i spent a hella long time working on this and im a little proud of it. but any form of support is greatly appreciated anyway and thank you for reading!!!!


End file.
